Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to tools for applying ornamental designs to walls and ceilings, and more particularly to tools for imparting a texture to the surfaces thereof.
2. Background Art
Several advantages are derived from imparting a textured surface to plaster and plasterboard surfaces of walls and ceilings: the irregularities in a textured surface are generally considered to enhance the appearance, especially when they include ornamental patterns; reflective glare from interior and exterior light sources is reduced; and some degree of sound deadening may also be achieved. For large scale texturing operations, such as when texturing several rooms in a new or remodeled building, the method of choice has been to spray joint compound onto the walls and/or ceilings from mechanical spray apparatus. The spray method required a significant amount of time and labor for taping and covering the windows, doors, and floors, as well as for clean up after the spraying was completed, which made it cumbersome and uneconomical for relatively small texturing jobs, such as texturing the walls of a single bedroom or office. Prior to my invention, such small texturing operations were performed with a variety of manual tools. Most commonly, for small texturing operations, joint compound was manually applied to wall and/or ceiling surfaces with a hand trowel to create a uniform, adhered layer of compound. The layer of compound was then textured manually by pressing against the layer with a hand sponge, crumpled-up newspaper, or with some specialized hand tool. An example of the latter was the manual texturing, mottling and blending tool of T. D. Hill, U.S. Pat. No. 1,789,627, which had interchangeable, soft, flexible, rubber layers embossed with a design for removing plastic materialxe2x80x94e.g., joint compoundxe2x80x94from a surface to create a design thereon. The texturing technique described by Hill required reciprocal motion of the tool against the plastic material surface, at the same time executing a series of forward and back, upward and downward wrist movements, thereby separating the wet top coat or coats from an underlying dry ground coat. Some degree of skill was necessary, however, to achieve a pleasing and uniform texture in this manner, as was the case with other manual texturing tools prior to my invention. Unlike my tool, which both applies and textures a surface coat, Hill""s and other prior art manual texturing methods required separate tools and steps for applying, and then later, texturing a surface coat.
There remains a need, therefore, for a manual texturing tool that is convenient for texturing small areas of interior walls and ceilings; a tool that even an unskilled novice may use to achieve an attractive and uniform surface texture with minimal time and effort; simple and sturdy in construction, and inexpensive to manufacture.
My texturing tool comprises a rigid, flat, thin tool blade, which may be made of plastic or any other suitable material. The tool blade has a plurality of holes irregularly distributed thereon. The holes may be of any shape and are preferably irregularly shaped. In a first embodiment of my tool, the blade is circular in plan form, and is intended for texturing the surface of any portion of an interior wall or ceiling except portions thereof that are adjacent another wall or ceiling. In a second embodiment of my tool, the blade is rectangular in plan view, and is intended for texturing the surface of a wall or ceiling that is immediately adjacent an adjoining wall or ceiling. The holes preferably have major dimension in the range of one-half to one inch. My tool further comprises a handle, attached to a first side of the blade. The handle is preferably elongated and cylindrically-shaped, having a first end attached to a central portion of the blade, and having an opposite, free end for grasping and manipulating the tool. In use, joint compound is applied to a second, opposite side of the blade and daubed onto a surface area of a wall or ceiling. The tool is then repeatedly daubed against and withdrawn from the layer until the desired surface texture is achieved, the texture gradually changing from rough to fine the more the process is repeated. After a period of drying, a flat, leveling blade is then drawn over the textured surface to remove any undesired peaks or hills therein.